So far this week, we’ve broken down the X’s and O’s of the Philadelphia Flyers’ penalty kill, and the offensive zone structure of their power play. But the most important application of this knowledge for Flyers fans is to better understand what decisions might be made — or should be made — regarding the personnel and strategies of the team moving into the 2017-18 season.

No single special-teams related decision will carry more weight than the choice of Brayden Schenn’s replacement on the top power play unit. Schenn was one of the most impactful power play forwards in the NHL last season, scoring 17 goals in the situation, but he’s now skating for the St. Louis Blues after being traded in June. As a result, a new player will be joining Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Shayne Gostisbehere and Jakub Voracek on PP1 for opening night.

As I pointed out on Wednesday, the handedness of the slot man on the Flyers’ version of...